My Promise
by Kamen Rider Chrome
Summary: Ryuji: I aim to be the strongest Rider so I can be with you, always...


Set somewhere between School Days of the ChronoLiner Riders and KAMEN RIDER SCHOOL DAYS.

**My Promise**

Ifrit was in the past, dated June 16th 1999, having chased after an Imagin who'd flown here through a portal created after granting its contractor's wish. The wish had been to get a girlfriend and so after granting his wish by grabbing several random girls, the Imagin set off to cause as much damage as possible with Ifrit in hot pursuit. Once there, the Rider and Kaijin fought, both trading blows.

The Imagin resembled a cockroach and it smelt as disgusting as it appeared. It was humanoid, covered in brown armor and with long antennae. It wielded a pronged staff for a weapon and thus using it to fight with Ifrit who was armed with his twin Ifrit Dao. Their weapons clashed, causing sparks to spill around them as they battled. Ifrit swung down with his right arm but his weapon was blocked and then followed up with a horizontal swing from his left. The Roach Imagin leapt up and over Ifrit, flipping through the air and avoiding the attack. Ifrit spun around and all of the sudden the Roach Imagin spat some foul smelling smog into Ifrit's face. With his enhanced sense of smell he was overwhelmed and lost balance. Grinning, the Imagin charged forward and struck Ifrit repeatedly in the chest, sending him stumbling with each attack. He then knocked Ifrit off his feet with his staff and the Rider landed painfully on his back. He was then pinned down by the prongs at the head of the staff as his neck was caught in between the two prongs. "Kuso…" Ifrit cursed as he gripped the weapon and tried to push it off him.

"Any last words, Rider?" the Roach Imagin questioned.

"Just one," said Ifrit as he concentrated, "Freeze." Frost began to creep up the weapon and it became brittle. Ifrit then snapped the prongs apart and then shot an ice ball at its chest, sending it stumbling back from the hit. The Roach Imagin snarled and discarded its ruined weapon before charging at Ifrit with its claws. Ifrit dodged to the side but was still hit in the arm, causing him to flinch. He turned to face the Imagin who laughed.

"Haha! You can't defeat me as you are Rider!" the Roach Imagin gloated.

"Oh, really?" the Rider said as he discarded his weapons. He then formed a pair of wicked looking ice claws out of the ice coating his hands. "We'll see about that." He rushed at the Imagin and struck hard and fast, forcing his opponent to go on the defensive. The Roach Imagin dodged the claws but got hit a few times in the chest, stomach, leg and arms.

"JIGOKU TSUME!!!" Ifrit called as he performed his technique, striking the Imagin with a powerful swipe that sent it flying and then tumbling along the ground.

Ifrit decided to finish it and the ice claws shattered. He took out a ticket and swiped it over his belt, calling, "Loki, let's finish this together!"

'_OK!_' Loki, his Imagin partner, obeyed and fused with him.

"**LOKI FORM!**"

His armor began to change as the chest, gauntlets, boots and mask turned red with a pair of blue and round eyepieces being fitted onto the mask. The plating on his arms and legs also turned red and the bodysuit under said armor became pitch black. A black cape hung from his back. A pillar of flames rose from his right hand and then formed into a huge red dozuki. He used this as his sword and his weapon of choice in Loki Form. He dragged the weapon along as he stalked towards his prey. He pressed a button upon his belt.

"**FULL CHARGE!**"

The Imagin tried to fight Ifrit again but this time was outmatched as it was backhanded and sent to the ground. The dozuki was already charged up as it filled with power as it was enveloped in intense flames.

"Who…who are you?" demanded the Roach Imagin.

Ifrit informed him, "**I am the Rider who aims to become the strongest Kamen Rider!**" And with that he executed the Imagin with a single flaming slash. The Imagin exploded and was destroyed. He hefted his huge weapon on his shoulder and waited for his ride to show up and take him back home.

* * *

Back in the present, Kotonoha waited as she sat on a bench. She had been on a date with Ryuji. They had been taking a walk in the park when all of a sudden an Imagin appeared. As usual, Ryuji went after it, leaving her alone and to wait for him.

She was worried. He was a Rider and his job was to defeat the Imagin and protect the timeline. However, she could not help but be worried. What if one day he didn't come back?

"Ryuji-kun…" she murmured. Suddenly, a pair of hands covered her eyes from behind and she heard someone whisper into her ear.

"Guess who?"

She gasped and removed the hands from her eyes to see who it was. "Ryuji-kun!" Her frown instantly vanished and was replaced by a serene smile.

"Sorry about keeping you waiting, Koto-chan," he said to her. Ryuji said. "Let's go."

"Hai!" She took hold of his arm and he flinched. "Ryuji-kun, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing," he said. He was grimacing slightly in pain. Kotonoha gasped and removed her hold from his arm.

"You're hurt!" She realised. "I'm sorry!" she apologized swiftly.

"It's just sore," he told her. "I'll be okay. It happens with fighting the Imagin." He rubbed the spot where his arm was sore. "Damn cockroach."

It happened all the time. This wasn't the first. In fact he'd gotten hurt a lot fighting the Imagin. She'd seen him with bruises, which would fade shortly after, but he also got a few wounds which could be fatal to humans.

"Ryuji-kun," she told him, "You can't keep doing this alone. You have friends and teammates. Call them to help you."

"No," he denied.

"Why not?" she asked.

"It's because I have to fight the Imagin and prove that I am the strongest Rider," he told her.

"Why?" she asked. "Why do you aim to be the strongest? Why do you need to prove that?" He was getting himself hurt just to prove he was the strongest.

"A while back I did it for the sake of it," he told her. "It was so I could survive and to prove my existence. In this world only the strong survive while the weak will die. It's the law of nature and I refuse to be weak. However…" He trailed off at the end.

"However?" she prompted.

"My reason has changed since I met you. I'm trying to become the strongest so that I can be with you, always," he said, gazing at her firmly. Her cheeks became red at the intensity of his gaze. "If I ever became weak, I would be killed and I wouldn't be able to stand by your side. As long as I remain stronger than my opponents, I will survive and be with you. That's the resolve I made when I became a Rider. I have to become strong so I could…" She suddenly embraced him. "Koto-chan?"

"Don't ever leave me," she asked of him. "Please…" she pleaded.

"I promise," he said tenderly, returning the embrace. "I'll become the strongest Rider and defeat all who stand in the way of our happiness." He added softly, "I swear."

Warren watched the couple from afar and smiled. "Looks like you've finally realised the meaning to your existence. Well done, Kohai."

* * *

A/N: Short, but it gets to the point.


End file.
